Festivals Old, Festivals New
Latest updates on fests in Danbury, Newport, Ottawa and Williamstown
Emmet Cohen, no stranger to the 8495, is coming to Danbury, CT. He headlines the WCSU Jazz Festival, Saturday at 7 with his trio. (photo courtesy Emmet Cohen)
The term “jazz festival” covers a multitude of logistics. Some are in reality a single-day extended multi-act bill and others stretch out over a weekend and beyond. But we have some good’uns on the docket here.
So let’s get y’all informed.
Williamstown Jazz Festival Debut
We have a brand new festival coming up later in the year in Williamstown, MA – technically just a tad outside the unofficial boundaries of the 8495, but a sweet day trip or comfortable overnight.
The inaugural Williamstown Jazz Festival is coming to us in the oh so beautiful late summer – Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 13. The festival’s schedule is a total immersion into the jazz experience.
The musical artist lineup includes trumpet superstar Arturo Sandoval (one of the instrument’s range monsters); modern jazz giants The Cookers; dynamic pianist Connie Han; local favorites Kris Allen, Jonathan Barber, and Matt Dwonszyk in their Triangle Offense alignment; trombonist/conch shell player Steve Turre; vocalist Wanda Houston, who is also very familiar to jazz fans in the region, and more.
In addition to the music, the festival also includes a jazz film festival and a talk and book signing by author John Gennari about his new release, The Jazz Barn, about The Music Inn, the Lenox School of Jazz, and the seminal role these venues and the Berkshires played in the evolution of modern jazz.
Jazz In The Berkshires, a non-profit founded by Daphne Bolden in 2022, is promoting the festival.
Daphne told 8495Jazz she founded the organization to bring marquee jazz names to the Berks and educate folks about the region’s rich jazz history; they have delivered a series of top-drawer concerts, including surviving members of The Jazz Messengers, trumpet icon Dr. Eddie Henderson, vibes masters Warren Wolf and Joe Locke, and all-female jazz supergroup Artemis, in collaboration with the Clark Art Institute.
With both the Williamstown Theater Festival and FreshGrass at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams on hiatus this year, the region had a cultural hole to fill; “So the Chamber of Commerce asked me if I would be willing to do a three-day jazz festival,” Daphne said. And she was.
The festival website, including the full lineup, is up and running and tickets are available. Looks like a treasure trove for jazzheads, folks.
Emmet and More at WestConn this week!
Speaking of the 84 in 8495, the Western Connecticut State University jazz club and student government association bring us the WCSU 29th annual jazz festival in Danbury, Thursday-Saturday, with jazz superstar Emmet Cohen, no stranger to these parts, headlining Saturday night’s finale with his trio. The festival’s full lineup is:
Thursday, April 30: The WCSU Vocal Jazz, Jazz Combos, Jazz Ensembles, and Frankensax hit the stage at 7 pm. GA tix are $17.85 including service fee.
Friday, May 1: WCSU Jazz Orchestra w/guest Steve Nelson on vibes, 7 pm. GA tix $17.85 including service fee.
Saturday, May 2: Hey, it’s Emmet! Emmet brings his trio back to the familiar territory of western CT for the headline show at 7. GA tix are $23.18 including service fee.
Newport News
The 2026 Newport Jazz Festival folks just released their daily act slate Thursday. The festival will run Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2.
Lineup highlights include:
Friday, July 31: Leon Thomas, Robert Glasper w/Bilal and Ari Lennox, and Vulfpeck.
Saturday, August 1: Gary Clark, Jr., Jonathan Batiste Trios, and Celebrating 100 Years of Coltrane and Miles featuring Kamasi Wasjington and Chief Adjuah.
Sunday, August 2: Lake Street Dive, Thundercat, and Herbie Hancock.
For the full boat on Newport, inlcuding ticket info, click here (detailed daily schedule will be released in July).
Ottawa announces third wave
The big June festivals continue to fill out their lineups, with the Ottawa Jazz Festival recently announcing their third wave of artists, including jazz/hip-hop combo BADBADNOTGOOD, saxophonist Tomoki Sanders, 8495Jazz fave Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, Big Smoke Brass, and singer-songwriter Becca Stevens and her trio.
If you have time, take a gander at all the other big June fests in the Northeast and Canada for the latest lineups and information: Montreal, Toronto, Rochester, and Saratoga. Nearby rooms may be hard to find now, but faint heart never won fair queen bed.
Hartford bass icon Nat Reeves helps us celebrate International Jazz Day and his new album, Now In Time, Thursday at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. The show is the 8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
University of St. Joseph, West Hartford, CT
Nat Reeves: Now In Time, Thursday, April 30, 7 pm. GA $26.66 including service fee.
The Hartford bass legend helps us celebrate International Jazz Day and his new release with a sextet of heavy Hartford hitters and friends (Eric Alexander on tenor, Steve Davis on trombone, John Hasselback III on trumpet, Caelan Cardello on piano and Chris Beck on drums).
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
Camille Thurman w/Darrell Green Quartet (sax, combo), 7:30 pm. Suggested donation $30.
Other Upcoming Shows
Regattabar, Cambridge, MA
Hellbender (eclectic fusion), Friday, May 1, 7:30 pm. GA $30.15 - $41.79 including service fees.
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra (big band), Monday, April 27, 7:30 pm. Free.
Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
Jazz Composers Alliance JCA Orchestra (big band originals), today, 3 pm. GA $23, students $18 including service fee.
Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT
Baby Grand Jazz doubleheader (Jamile Trio, vocals, combo at 1:15 pm; Rene McLean Music of the Spirit septet at 3:15). Today. Free.
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Jazz Combos IV, Tuesday, April 28, 7:30 pm. GA $17.85, students/seniors $12.51 including service fee.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Greg Wall and Wayne Herring Remember Lee Konitz and Wayne Marsh (sax duo, combo), Thursday, April 30, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. $20.76 for 7:30 set, $10.76 for 8:45 set. Student/vets $15.76 for 7:30 set.
Palace Theater Poli Club, Waterbury, CT
Sally Terrell Quartet (vocals, combo), Friday, May 1, 7 and 9 pm. GA $41, including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, various Tuesdays, click link for dates, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Park City Music Hall, Bridgeport, CT
Scott Cushman and Friends followed by jam, first Wednesday of the month.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
First Sunday Jam (first Sunday of the month) with Ben Shaw Quartet followed by jam, music starts at 6. Jammers $5, audience $10.
Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, MA
Jams every second Tuesday of the month through June, 7 pm. $10 at the door, no advance sales.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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